Track-sanding apparatus.



L A. GIBBS. TRACK SANDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION TILED OUT. 24, 1908.

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APPLICATION nun 001'. :4, 1902.

927,459. Patented July 6,1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

snow don UNITED STATES rATENT onn on.

ISAAC A. GIBBS, OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN ROSE,OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIA.

TRACK-SAN DIN G APPARATUS;

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented July 6, 1909;

Application fil ed. October 24, 1901;. Serial No. 459,404.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC A. Games, a citizen of the United States,residing at Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke and State of Virginia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track-SandingApparatus and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in tracksanding de vices for locomotives, and has for its object to providemeans under the control of the engineer by which sand can be deliveredfrom the sand dome to the tracks both in front, and in the rear of thedriving wheels of the locomotive.

My invention also has for its object to readily overcome thedisadvantages resulting from the caking or cohesion of the sand grainsin the sand dome and sand trap, which occurs from moisture andatmospheric conditions.

With these ends in view my invention consists in the features ofconstruction and arrangement, and the operation thereof as will behereinafter and more fully set forth.

In order that those skilled in the art to which myinvention appertainsmay know how to construct and use my improved devices and fullyappreciate the advantages thereof, I will proceed to describe the samereferring by numerals to the accompanying drawing in which Figure l, isa side elevation of a locomotive with my improvements attached there to.Fig. 2, is a detail plan view illustrating the sand distributing deviceson both sides, and the connections by means of which they are controlledby the engineer. Fig. 3, is a central, longitudinal vertical section onenlarged scale, of the sand distributing devices arranged beneath thesand trap; Fig. 4, is a transverse section on line a-l) of Fig. 3.

Similar reference numerals indicate like parts in the several figures ofthe drawing.

1, is the ordinary sand dome of the locomotive communicating with thesand trap 2, through which the sand within the dome is delivered to theordinary distributing pipes on each side of the locomotive, there beingone of such distributing pipes on each side and leading down in front ofthe forward driving Wheels. The sand in devices of this kind and of themost modern construction,- is forced from the sand dome, and said trap,by blasts of air under the control of the engineer, and constitute nopart of my present invention which I will now describe.

Instead of leading the ordinary single distributing pipes directly fromthe sand trap 2, I securely attach to the trap by suitable bolts 3, ahollow sand box or conduit 4, having in its upper end a single sandchannel 5, and at its lower extremity two sand exits 6, 6 separated by avibratory wing or deflector 7, journaled in a suitable bearing in thebottom of the sand box as clearly shown. The journal 8 at the lowerextremity of the wing or deflector extends outwardly a short distanceand has secured to it a crank lever 9, to the upper extremity of whichis pivoted the stem 10, of a piston head 11, in an air cylinder l1connected by a pipe 12 with a source of compressed air controlled bysuitable valves under the control of the engineer. The valve stem 10, issurrounded by a spring 13, which tends to hold the wing or deflector 7,in its rearward position shown in broken lines in Fig. 3, and so thatthe sand delivered from the dome and sand trap will be deflected and ledto the forward exit 6, at the bottom of the sand box 4, and when air isadmitted against the valve or head 11, the wing or deflector 7, will beforced to the position indicated in solid lines, in which event the sandwill be deflected and led through the rear exit 6 at the bottom of thebox.

The exits 6, 6 communicate with delivery sand pipes, one 14, of whichleads forward and down in front of a driving wheel and the other downand in rear of a driving wheel, so that when the wing or deflector is inits normal position under the action of the spring 13, and sand isdelivered to the sand box 4, it will be conveyed to the track in rear ofthe driving wheel, and when it is desired to deliver the sand in rear ofa driving wheel the engineer admits air through the pipe 12, against thepiston head 11, forcing it against the action of the spring, and throughthe crank connection 9, and the stem 10, with the journal 8, the Wing ordeflector will be vibrated to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig.3, so that the sand will be delivered through the exit 6.

One of the serious defects in all sanding devices with which I amfamiliar lies in the circumstances that the sand both within the sanddome and the sand trap, (due to moisture and atmospheric conditions),frequently cakes or becomes crusted so that the air blast employed toconvey it to and through the trap to the distributing pipes fails toproduce the desired result. By the use of my improved devices I amenabled to overcome this defect, and in the following manner namely; byadmitting compressed air intermittently behind the valves 11., the wingor deflector 7, is vibrated under the sand conduit 5, so as to close theconduit to such an extent as will cause the air which passes through thedome and sand trap to contact with the upper end of the wing ordeflector and to reverberate through the body of sand in the dome andtrap, and thus tumble the same and break any crust or adhesions of thegrains. As an additional means for effecting this result and alsoserving to facilitate the ejection of the sand from the box 4, to thedistributing pipes and clearing the latter, I provide a pipe 16, whichenters the conduit 5, at an acute angle as shown, and connect said pipewith a suitable valve under the control of the engineer, so that the airwhen admitted to this pipe may be used cooperatively with the airthrough the dome, and sand trap, or independently thereof, forcontacting with the u per end of the wing or deflector and rever cratingas described through the sand. The wing deflector at its upper extremityis so proportioned with reference to the diameter of the lower extremityof the conduit 5, that when itis in a perfectly vertical position theconduit will not be entirely closed, thus giving a slight relief to thecompressed air and preventing such damage as might otherwise occur. Thisfeature of my invention relating to the overcoming of the incrusted orcohesed condition of the sand both in the sand dome and the sand trap, Iconsider of great importance and desire to call especial attentionthereto.

I have not shown or particularly described any arrangement of valves bywhich the supply of compressed air led to the various air pipes may bereadily under the control of the engineer as that forms no particularpart of my invention and may obviously be varied according tocircumstances.

Having described the particular features of my invention and theadvantages thereof, what I claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent is 1. In a track sanding apparatus such as described, incombination with the sand trap, a sand box connected therewith and.formed with a single sand duct at the upper and two sand exits at itslower extremity; a vibratory partition. centrally pivoted at its lowerextremity between the sand exits; means for vibrating said partition;sand pipes leading from the sand exits, one of said pipes terminating infront of the driving wheel, and the other in the rear thereof, and meansunder the control of the engineer for vibrating the partition in thesand box, whereby a supply of sand may be delivered in front or in rearof the driving wheel.

2. In a track sanding apparatus such as described, and having a sand boxcommuni eating at its upper end with the sand trap, and with twodelivery pipes at its lower cxtremity; a vibratory partition or wingpivotally connected at its lower end between the sand exits; a crank armrigidly connected with the pivot or shaft of the vibratory wing andpivotally connected at its upper end with the stem of a piston locatedwithin a compressedair cylinder; means for supplying compressed air tothe cylinder against the piston head and spiral spring surrounding thepiston stem and located between the piston head and the end of thecylinder substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

3. In a tracl; sanding apparatus such as described and embodying a sandbox communicating with the sand trap and exits or delivery pipes; andprovided with a vibratory wing or partition; a compressed. air pipeleading from a source of supply and entering the sand box at an acuteangle above the upper end of the vibratory wing or partition,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a track s nding apparatus, in combination with a source of supplyand delivery pipes adapted to convey the sand in front and in the rearof the driving wheels of a locomotive, an intermediate sand distributerprovided with a vibratory wing or deflector having an operating crankarm or lever pivotally connected with the stem of a compressed airpiston, under the control of the engineer substantially as hereinbeforeset forth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ISAAC A. GIBBS.

Witnesses LAWRENCE S. DAVIS, R. C. Revue.

